Limestone beats Mount Olive's pressure in tourney

Limestone's Joe Raga goes up for a basket against Mount Olive during the first round of the Conference Carolinas tournament on Monday night in Gaffney. Raga had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds during the Saints' 96-70 victory.

Published: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 1:23 a.m.

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Conference Carolinas regular season co-champion and No. 2 tournament seed Limestone was up by 30 points at halftime Monday night against Mount Olive and cruised into the semifinals with a 96-70 victory in the Timken Center.

The Saints will play host at 7 p.m. Thursday to No. 6 seed Erskine, which upset third-seeded King.

Mount Olive's defensive style is to hassle its opponent for 94 feet and 40 minutes. The Trojans press and trap and squeeze. It worked perfectly in the first meeting of the season with Limestone as they took a 99-78 win. And it was equally as effective in the opening minutes of this one as the Saints committed three turnovers before reaching halfcourt on their first five possessions.

But Limestone (20-7, 15-5) settled down, stayed calm and cool, and it paid off. When the Saints were able to break the press, it often ended in a layup. They committed 13 turnovers in the first half, but shot 72 percent.

That added up to a 60-30 lead at intermission. Limestone's highest-scoring game of the season was a 97-82 win against Belmont Abbey on the first day of December.

“It was so fast and frantic for the first five minutes,” Limestone head coach Brandon Scott said. “But when we got it past halfcourt, we scored every time. We just couldn't always get it past halfcourt. Once we started to do that consistently, everything else went perfectly.”

The game was tied at 20, but the Saints went on an incredible 40-10 run to not only break the press but also the Trojans' backs even before the halftime horn.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and it was tied, but it felt like we were down 20,” said Limestone senior center Phillip Moultrie, who led the Saints with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, all in the paint. “You have to be mentally strong against these guys.”

Limestone shot 65 percent for the game, while Mount Olive finished at 36 percent. The Saints had 24 assists (on 36 baskets) to triple the total by the Trojans. Limestone also blocked nine shots, three by Jamal McNeill, who also had eight rebounds.

“The first game we played against Mount Olive, they destroyed us with that pressure. They killed us,” Scott said. “I feel like they thought it was going to win this game for them. But we beat it and I think it really shook them. To be at a place right now where we can pick that apart is really gratifying.”

At the half, Raga had 14 points (6-for-8, the only misses on 3-pointers) with five rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. He's a unique player who not only serves as a 6-foot-6 point guard but also leads the league with 9.1 rebounds per game.

“I call him our quarterback,” Scott said. “He maintains our tempo. He dictates our play. And I think he did an outstanding job of that tonight.”

Raga said it was all because of the weekend practices. The Saints have known for three days that they would have to face the pressure of Mount Olive in the first round of the tournament.

“It was a lot of preparation,” Raga said. “We spent three days getting ready for their traps. We ran press breaks and tried to keep the ball moving. … I think we got a little nervous in the first minutes. They play so fast. If you're out of control, they get you. They cause turnovers and get layups. But we stayed in it and were able to slow it down. Once we get in a halfcourt set, we have the advantage because we're just so much bigger and stronger.”

<p>GAFFNEY — Limestone handled the pressure and by the end, there was no pressure at all.</p><p>Conference Carolinas regular season co-champion and No. 2 tournament seed Limestone was up by 30 points at halftime Monday night against Mount Olive and cruised into the semifinals with a 96-70 victory in the Timken Center.</p><p>The Saints will play host at 7 p.m. Thursday to No. 6 seed Erskine, which upset third-seeded King.</p><p>Mount Olive's defensive style is to hassle its opponent for 94 feet and 40 minutes. The Trojans press and trap and squeeze. It worked perfectly in the first meeting of the season with Limestone as they took a 99-78 win. And it was equally as effective in the opening minutes of this one as the Saints committed three turnovers before reaching halfcourt on their first five possessions.</p><p>But Limestone (20-7, 15-5) settled down, stayed calm and cool, and it paid off. When the Saints were able to break the press, it often ended in a layup. They committed 13 turnovers in the first half, but shot 72 percent.</p><p>That added up to a 60-30 lead at intermission. Limestone's highest-scoring game of the season was a 97-82 win against Belmont Abbey on the first day of December.</p><p>“It was so fast and frantic for the first five minutes,” Limestone head coach Brandon Scott said. “But when we got it past halfcourt, we scored every time. We just couldn't always get it past halfcourt. Once we started to do that consistently, everything else went perfectly.”</p><p>The game was tied at 20, but the Saints went on an incredible 40-10 run to not only break the press but also the Trojans' backs even before the halftime horn.</p><p>“I looked up at the scoreboard and it was tied, but it felt like we were down 20,” said Limestone senior center Phillip Moultrie, who led the Saints with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, all in the paint. “You have to be mentally strong against these guys.”</p><p>Joe Raga had 18 points (8-for-11), eight assists and seven rebounds. Mike Barrett scored 16 points (6-for-7) and grabbed six boards. P.J. Foster added 11 points. Charles Blue had 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.</p><p>Limestone shot 65 percent for the game, while Mount Olive finished at 36 percent. The Saints had 24 assists (on 36 baskets) to triple the total by the Trojans. Limestone also blocked nine shots, three by Jamal McNeill, who also had eight rebounds.</p><p>“The first game we played against Mount Olive, they destroyed us with that pressure. They killed us,” Scott said. “I feel like they thought it was going to win this game for them. But we beat it and I think it really shook them. To be at a place right now where we can pick that apart is really gratifying.”</p><p>At the half, Raga had 14 points (6-for-8, the only misses on 3-pointers) with five rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. He's a unique player who not only serves as a 6-foot-6 point guard but also leads the league with 9.1 rebounds per game.</p><p>“I call him our quarterback,” Scott said. “He maintains our tempo. He dictates our play. And I think he did an outstanding job of that tonight.”</p><p>Raga said it was all because of the weekend practices. The Saints have known for three days that they would have to face the pressure of Mount Olive in the first round of the tournament.</p><p>“It was a lot of preparation,” Raga said. “We spent three days getting ready for their traps. We ran press breaks and tried to keep the ball moving. … I think we got a little nervous in the first minutes. They play so fast. If you're out of control, they get you. They cause turnovers and get layups. But we stayed in it and were able to slow it down. Once we get in a halfcourt set, we have the advantage because we're just so much bigger and stronger.”</p>